R&A University

Applying a protective coating over your commercial roof surface is one of the best ways to reflect the sun’s harmful UV rays. Many of these coatings are acrylic-based, but why is that?

You’re probably already familiar with one acrylic-based product: PlexiGlas. Manufacturers use PlexiGlas to create a wide variety of products, everything from boat hulls to construction ladders, patio tables, and more. It’s a popular material of choice because of its durability and strength. PlexiGlas is composed of only monomers, highly durable chemical-based building blocks. Acrylic polymers are a mixture (hence the name “poly-“) of acrylic with other material bases that has the strength and durability of acrylic with the flexibility of the additional material, such as silicone.

Why not use just acrylic for coating a commercial roof? That’s a great question! Acrylic is incredibly strong but it’s not very flexible. When acrylic is applied, it quickly loses any flexibility and doesn’t conform well to curves and bends in the roof over time. This is why the best types of roof coatings are polymers.

Acrylic polymers have now been developed specifically for roof coating applications. The acrylic’s durability helps deflect the UV transference and the flexibility created by the polymer additive, such as silicone, allows the coating to form over virtually any roofing substrate. By deflecting the UV’s heat transfer, the acrylic coating protects the spray polyurethane foam (SPF) from absorbing and deteriorating with the same UV rays. The acrylic coating is up to the task that a basic silicone coating wouldn’t be able to provide because silicone doesn’t have the same level of durability.

Our R&A Contracting team loves installing Thermo-Flex from Lapolla Industries. A term that’s often associated with acrylic coatings, such as Thermo-Flex, is “elastomeric”. That means that it has strength in thickness (“viscosity”) and flexibility (“elasticity”). You want a roof coating that can bend as your roof settles with your building over time without exposing any cracks in your building envelope.

If you’d like to learn more about how R&A Contracting keeps you informed on what’s best for your building, we’d love to start a conversation with you today!

The R&A Team

I’d be an idiot if I did not take this opportunity to communicate to you how much we appreciate the way in which you conduct business and take care of our facility. In my experience you, and your team, are at the top of the list of all the roofing companies I’ve dealt with over the years. Thank you!

Jim Lowry - Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolatier

Eric and crew were really nice to have around. They were courteous, careful and caused little if any disruption. Their work looks good too! To be honest… a good experience with a product that I initially had misgivings about. I’m a convert because of Bubba, Sam and Eric. Thank you.

Jim Lowry - Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolatier

“I want to thank the crew at R&A for a job well done on our very leaky roof at the shop. It is certainly nice to have the drips and rivers gone from the shop when it is raining. I also wanted you to know how much we appreciated that the guys were able to stay out of our way and allowed us to do business as usual without any problems or interruptions. The roof looks great and the clean-up after the job made it so we couldn’t even tell you’d been here. Thanks for doing what you do so well!”

Jay Moore, President of Safe Way Tire and Auto Center

“My wife and I were on vacation when water pipes burst in our house. We got a hold of Craig and the R&A crew was able to start evacuating the water immediately. The best part was that they were able to start work before we even returned home. It was a very fast turnaround considering the extensive amount of water damage.”

Will from Dardenne Prairie, MO

“Craig and Mike came out in a timely fashion when we needed the work done. They did a reliable and quality job.”

Jerry from SLR Properties

“Craig helped us out tremendously with the insurance process. Timely and very professional.”

Lindell from Greater Missouri Builders (GMB)

“We purchased a house and there was some damage to the roof. Very impressed with the thoroughness of Mike’s inspection. Very comfortable with their explanation of what needed to be fixed. Most impressive was the way they protected our landscaping. Really liked the way they treated me as a valued customer, even though it was only a small project.”

Ross from Troy, MO

“I use R&A Contracting when my commercial roofs receive storm damage. They work on our behalf through every step of the insurance claim process. They perform all of the work and complete the insurance process, making our roofs better than they were before the storm.”

Director of Facilities for a large Property Management Company

“The team at R & A Contracting responded immediately when notified of our water disaster. They removed water-damaged materials and property quickly and restored our home even before the final settlement from our insurance company. They minimized how long our family had to live in a hotel and got us back to normal as fast as possible.”